As I watched Vegeta walk over to his side of the arena, I idly wondered if the scowl on his face was anger at the idea of being outclassed by Pigero, or just his resting rage face.
I suppose it didn't matter.
"Ha! This is gonna be a total curb stomp for Pigero. Vegeta doesn't stand a chance!" Krillin exclaimed.
"Yeah. Serves that jerk right!" Yamcha agreed.
"I don't want to hear that from you, Yamcha." I immediately snapped at him. I really didn't like Yamcha. After all the paperwork he'd put me through with his laziness and uselessness over the last four-and-a-half years, I dare anyone to try to blame me.
"I wouldn't write Vegeta off, guys. It wouldn't be smart to underestimate that guy." Goku said.
I agreed with my dad. Vegeta wasn't just strong, he was capable of keeping up with Goku to an extent in the original canon. A genius. I wouldn't put it past him to find a way to exhaust Pigero without using Silver Mode once. Either that, or go Super Saiyan sometime during the match.
…
"READY?! FIGHT!"
Immediately as the battle began, Vegeta moved. He wasn't pulling any punches in this match, he knew that, once Pigero used Silver Mode, he'd be on the defensive, so he moved in for close combat using his currently superior speed.
"I'll win this quickly." The words echoed through the arena as he and Pigero disappeared from sight, loud BOOMs! Suddenly resounding all over the arena, in the air, on the ground.
The arena floor, reinforced even more than it'd been for the other battles, began to shake and crack under the pressure.
Finally, Pigero was thrown from the air into the arena floor with a grunt and a bang. His body was already a bit battered from Vegeta's onslaught.
But Vegeta wasn't done yet. "Hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-hah-" Not giving Pigero a moment of rest, Vegeta rained energy blasts down on Pigero like machine gun bullets. The human fighter barely had the time to dodge.
'I need time!' For me, it was easy to see the thoughts on Pigero's face. Even he needed a moment or two to gather his energies before he could unleash Grey or Silver Mode. Time that Vegeta was clearly doing his damndest to not give him.
A good strategy. Vegeta's strength and stamina were leagues above Pigero's in base form. He could keep his dogged attacks up a lot longer than Pigero, who was already beginning to sweat, could.
But, unfortunately, Vegeta had underestimated Pigero.
"Spirit Barrier!" With a wave of his hand, Pigero called just enough energy out of his Spirit Battery to create a barrier to stop Vegeta's barrage from hitting him for a moment.
"No!" Roaring, Vegeta immediately stopped the useless barrage, instead pushing his energy into a massive single blast in an effort to destroy the shield.
BANG!
Vegeta's energy blast slammed against Pigero's barrier, shattering it on contact.
But…
"Too late!" With a palm strike, Pigero popped Vegeta's energy blast like a balloon. "Silver Mode! Times twenty-five!" Pigero's hair was shining white. Vegeta had lost his power advantage.
…
"Looks like this battle's over."
"Yeah, unless Vegeta pulls something pretty crazy out of his belt." Krillin agreed with Yamcha.
"..." I said nothing.
…
Vegeta clicked his tongue, annoyed. But he'd expected this. After all, while Silver Mode required a moment or two to concentrate before you broke it out, he knew from experience that the more dangerous Kaio-ken could be used instantly in a pinch, and the result would be exactly the same. Overwhelming power.
But still…
"Simply boosting your power level doesn't make you a match for the unparalleled might of a true Saiyan warrior!" Vegeta shouted at Pigero confidently, meeting the human's gaze with his own.
He wasn't entirely wrong. The fact of the matter was, Pigero wasn't even a real match for Vegeta if he didn't boost his power.
Every single one of my Legacy Captains at present had base power levels of over a million. Even Videl, though she'd only hit that benchmark recently. But even among these monsters, there were five that truly stood head and shoulders among the crowd, even ignoring transformation potential.
Piccolo's power level was the highest, and his techniques the most unpredictable, but as a Namekian, he wasn't exactly built for raw power, as much as endurance, bringing his actual combat potential about even with Goku, Vegeta, and I. Vegeta wasn't far behind him in terms of raw power, but what he had in brute force, he lacked in speed and versatility.
Then, you had Goku. Massively powerful with instincts to match. Perfect all-rounder. In fact, I'd give him a seventy-five percent chance of beating either Vegeta or Piccolo one-on-one without raising his power level one bit, even though both slightly outmatched him in terms of brute power.
Though, since I had all the techniques and control in the world, I could beat Piccolo or Vegeta one-on-one over ninety percent of the time, though my odds against Goku, with his insane battle instincts, were still fifty-fifty.
And finally, Gohan. Ironically, he was probably the most powerful out of any of us, though he'd never actually beaten Piccolo, Goku, or I in all of our sparrings. His power level wasn't quite as high as Goku's, but it was close enough that it was entirely possible that he'd end up shooting right into Super Saiyan two territory if he practiced his Super Saiyan form a bit, then had another explosive burst of rage, unlocking more of his hidden potential.
Vegeta knew all of this. He knew without a doubt in his mind that the only one of us five that he'd be able to beat in a real, no-holds-barred fight to the death, even though he'd recently unlocked his Super Saiyan form, was Piccolo. Maybe.
And that was why he was so desperate to prove how much stronger he was compared to Pigero, who'd still be weaker than him in pure brute force after using Gray Mode times three.
"I am the prince of all Saiyans! And you will fall before my power!"